I haven't seen the 2013 Great Smoky Mountains Association (GSMA) budget yet, but last year the non-profit organization funded putting “...two rangers and multiple special interns in the park’s backcountry.” The new personnel was to “enforce regulations, assist persons in distress, and educate hikers and horseback riders about low impact backcountry use.”

It will be interestng to see if the organization, of which I am a proud member, will need to subsidize the new fees program going forward. On its web site’s “GSMA Aid to the Park" page, it appears that this year GSMA plans to spend $28,000 for “2 Seasonal Backcountry Rangers” and about $5,000 for “Backcountry Support Intern.” In 2012, GSMA continued funding “staff for the park’s backcountry information and registration offices.”